In Auberive, northeastern France, a shift in forest management began in the 1990s when local communities raised concerns over increasing clearcuts and their impact on the landscape. These conversations marked the beginning of a long-term transition towards more ecological and socially responsive forest practices.

Over the past two decades, Auberive has adopted Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) – a close-to-nature approach that promotes native species, uneven-aged structures, and integrates ecological, economic and social values.

This transformation follows four guiding principles:

• Prioritising the quality and value of individual trees
• Continuous natural regeneration with a mix of species, ages and structures
• Selective harvesting based on balance and wood quality
• Stable income generation while minimising management costs

Auberive’s example demonstrates that ecological and economic goals can align, and that forest management can evolve through dialogue with local communities.

This case is featured in the book How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation: A view across Europe (2020) – a joint publication by the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). It is developed within the framework of the Integrate Network and has been written by more than 150 researchers and practitioners from 50 institutions and 19 countries.

Read the full book here

Authors of this case study: Jean-Jacques Boutteaux, Benoit Meheux, Yoan Paillet

Photo: travelview / Adobe Stock